The effect of plyometric training on handspring vault performance in adolescent female gymnasts

Purpose: Despite the huge amount of force exerted by both the upper and lower extremity musculature in gymnastic vaulting, there is scant research investigating the benefits that plyometric training can induce. The handspring vault is of paramount importance for a gymnast’s vaulting development, and requires both technical skill and power production to achieve success. The aim of this study was to determine the effects that plyometric training can have when added to habitual training on handspring vault performance variables in female adolescent gymnasts. Methods: Twenty female competitive gymnasts (mean ± SD: age 12.5 ± 1.7 years; stature 1.46 ± 0.11 m; mass 40.5kg ± 9.7 kg) volunteered to partake in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to two independent groups. The experimental plyometric training group (PT) pursued a six-week plyometric program, consisting of two additional 45 minute sessions a week, alongside their habitual training. The control group (CG) continued their regular habitual training only. Videography was used (120 Hz) in the sagittal plane, both pre and post training intervention, to assess key performance indicators attributed to the technical performance and competence required to execute a successful handspring vault. In addition, participants completed a countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) as an assessment of lower body power. Results: Significant improvements (P < 0.05) were found for the PT in comparison to CG for run-up velocity, take-off velocity, distance from take-off to springboard, duration of foot contact on board, duration of hand contact on vault, duration of post flight and CMJ height. However, no significant differences were found between groups for first flight time, shoulder angle or hip angle on the vault. Furthermore, the CG demonstrated no significant improvement for handspring vault measures or CMJ height. Conclusions: The results demonstrated that the implementation of plyometric training led to improvements of several key variables which are associated to successful handspring vault performance. It can be suggested that implementing plyometric training can improve handspring vault performance in adolescents, appropriately preparing gymnasts for the development and progression of vaulting in the future

Delphi Method and Nominal Group Techniques in Family Planning and Reproductive Health Research

Both the Delphi method and nominal group technique offer structured, transparent and replicable ways of synthesising individual judgements and have been used extensively for priority setting and guideline development in health-related research including reproductive health. Within evidence-based practice they provide a means of collating expert opinion where little evidence exists.They are distinct from many other methods because they incorporate both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Both methods are inherently flexible; this article also discusses other strengths and weaknesses of these methods

Control of T Cell Metabolism by Cytokines and Hormones

Dynamic, coordinated changes in metabolic pathway activity underpin the protective and inflammatory activity of T cells, through provision of energy and biosynthetic precursors for effector functions, as well as direct effects of metabolic enzymes, intermediates and end-products on signaling pathways and transcriptional mechanisms. Consequently, it has become increasingly clear that the metabolic status of the tissue microenvironment directly influences T cell activity, with changes in nutrient and/or metabolite abundance leading to dysfunctional T cell metabolism and interlinked immune function. Emerging evidence now indicates that additional signals are integrated by T cells to determine their overall metabolic phenotype, including those arising from interaction with cytokines and hormones in their environment. The impact of these on T cell metabolism, the mechanisms involved and the pathological implications are discussed in this review article

Interrogating a role for tumour necrosis factor alpha in CD4+^+ T cell metabolism in health and inflammatory disease

Upon activation, CD44$^+$ T cells undergo substantial metabolic reprogramming to support clonal expansion and effector function, largely promoted by T cell receptor (TCR) and CD28 signalling. Whether T cell-derived inflammatory cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), amplify this process is not well understood but could be pertinent in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), where abundant TNF-α expression and dysregulated CD44$^+$ T cell metabolic phenotypes are present. TNF-α has been previously identified to act as a co-stimulatory signal upon T cell activation, increasing proliferation and cytokine production. Yet, whether TNF-α controls CD44$^+$ T cell metabolism has not been interrogated. Here, it was shown that blocking T cell-derived TNF-α supressed the activation of naïve CD44$^+$ T cells and impaired their upregulation of glycolysis, amino acid uptake, and mitochondrial oxidation of glutamine. Conversely, addition of TNF-α was able to increase glycolysis in these cells. Interrogation of downstream signalling pathways identified that TNF-α drives these changes not through NFκB, which is most commonly reported to be downstream of TNF-α, but through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. T cell-derived TNF-α signalling was also shown to be involved in driving inflammatory T helper (Th)1 and Th17 cell differentiation in a partially Akt-dependent manner, whilst little effect on regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation was observed. Finally, to interrogate a role for this TNF-α/PI3K/Akt metabolic axis in chronic inflammatory disease, peripheral blood CD44$^+$ T cells from RA patients and healthy controls were analysed by flow cytometry. RA CD44$^+$ T cells exhibited higher levels of membrane-bound TNF-α, mitochondrial mass, and Akt phosphorylation. These data implicate TNF-α signalling via PI3K/Akt in the dysregulated metabolic phenotype of RA CD44$^+$ T cells

Genome Sequence and Annotation of the B3 Mycobacteriophage Phayeta

Mycobacteriophage Phayeta was extracted from soil near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a host. Annotation of the 68,700 base-pair circularly permuted genome identified 104 predicted protein-encoding genes, 34 of which have functional assignments. This article was published Open Access through the CCU Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund. The article was first published in Microbiology Resource Announcements: https://doi.org/10.1128/MRA.00915-2

Comparison of Patient Outcomes in Female Patients Undergoing SLAP Repair or Biceps Tenodesis for the Treatment of SLAP Lesions

Background: There is no consensus on whether SLAP repair (SR) or biceps tenodesis (BT) yields superior long-term outcomes in managing superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears. No previous study has examined outcomes of these procedures in female patients. Hypothesis/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes following SR and BT for SLAP tears in females. The authors hypothesized there would be no difference in outcomes between patients who underwent SR or BT. Study Design: Retrospective Cohort (level III) Methods: Female patients who underwent SR or BT for treatment of SLAP tears between 1/1/2014 and 9/1/2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients undergoing a concomitant procedure were excluded. Patients completed American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), single assessment numerical evaluation (SANE), and visual analog scale (VAS), and a custom return to activity surveys at a minimum 2 years post-operatively. Results: The study included 65 female patients; 38 (58.4%) underwent arthroscopic SR and 27 (41.5%) underwent open- or arthroscopic-BT. There was no significant difference in laterality of procedure but patients in the SR group were significantly younger (36.7±8.44 years vs. 44.4±10.4 years, P = .003). At minimum 2-year follow-up, there was no significant difference in ASES scores (SLAP: 78.3 vs BT: 80.0, P = .591), SANE scores (77.0 vs 80.1, P = .722) or VAS scores (26.4 vs 24.4, P = .530). Furthermore, rates of participation in sports prior to surgery (58.8%vs 37.0%, P = .152) and rates of return-to-sport after surgery (75.0% vs 80.0%, P = 1.000) did not significantly differ. Conclusion: Female patients undergoing surgical treatment of SLAP lesions with either SR or BT show comparable subjective outcomes and return to sport at minimum 2 years. These results are comparable to those seen in prior studies focusing on predominantly male cohorts. Further research is necessary to define precise treatment indications for this pathology in this specific female patient population

Revisiting the "enigma" of musicians with dyslexia:Auditory sequencing and speech abilities

Previous research has suggested a link between musical training and auditory processing skills. Musicians have shown enhanced perception of auditory features critical to both music and speech, suggesting that this link extends beyond basic auditory processing. It remains unclear to what extent musicians who also have dyslexia show these specialized abilities, considering often-observed persistent deficits that coincide with reading impairments. The present study evaluated auditory sequencing and speech discrimination in 52 adults comprised of musicians with dyslexia, nonmusicians with dyslexia, and typical musicians. An auditory sequencing task measuring perceptual acuity for tone sequences of increasing length was administered. Furthermore, subjects were asked to discriminate synthesized syllable continua varying in acoustic components of speech necessary for intra-phonemic discrimination, which included spectral (formant frequency) and temporal (voice onset time (VOT) and amplitude envelope) features. Results indicate that musicians with dyslexia did not significantly differ from typical musicians and performed better than nonmusicians with dyslexia for auditory sequencing as well as discrimination of spectral and VOT cues within syllable continua. However, typical musicians demonstrated superior performance relative to both groups with dyslexia for discrimination of syllables varying in amplitude information. These findings suggest a distinct profile of speech processing abilities in musicians with dyslexia, with specific weaknesses in discerning amplitude cues within speech. Since these difficulties seem to remain persistent in adults with dyslexia despite musical training, this study only partly supports the potential for musical training to enhance the auditory processing skills known to be crucial for literacy in individuals with dyslexia

The implicit power of positive thinking: The effect of positive episodic simulation on implicit future expectancies

Previous research demonstrating that positive episodic simulation enhances future expectancies has relied on explicit expectancy measures. The current study investigated the effects of episodic simulation on implicit expectancies. Using the Future Thinking Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (FT-IRAP), participants made true/false decisions to indicate whether or not they expected positive/negative outcomes after adopting orientations consistent or inconsistent with an optimistic disposition. The outcome measure, DIRAP, was based on response time differences between consistent and inconsistent blocks. Participants then engaged in either positive simulation training, in which they imagined positive future events, or a neutral visualisation task before repeating the FT-IRAP twice following 10-minute intervals. Positive simulation training increased DIRAP scores for don’t-expect-negative trials – boosting participants’ readiness to affirm that negative events were unlikely to happen to them. Although findings did not generalise across all trial types, they show potential for positive simulation training to enhance implicit future expectancies

Outcomes of Arthroscopic vs. Open Biceps Tenodesis for Treatment of SLAP Lesion in Female Patients

Background: Biceps tenodesis (BT) is one alternative treatment to repair of superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears. It can be performed as an arthroscopy or open procedure. While there have been studies comparing the outcomes of SLAP repair procedures with BT for the treatment of SLAP tears, literature comparing arthroscopic and open BT for the treatment of SLAP tears is limited. Additionally, no previous study has specifically examined the outcomes of these procedures in female patients. Hypothesis/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes following Arthroscopic BT and Open BT for SLAP tears in females. The authors hypothesized there would be no difference in outcomes between patients who underwent arthroscopic or open procedures. Study Design: Retrospective Cohort (level III) Methods: Female patients who underwent arthroscopic or open BT for treatment of SLAP tears between 1/1/2014 and 9/1/2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients undergoing a concomitant procedure were excluded. A minimum of 2 years postoperatively patients completed American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), single assessment numerical evaluation (SANE), and visual analog scale (VAS), and a custom return to activity surveys. Results: This study included 27 female patients; 14 (51.9%) underwent arthroscopic BT and 13 (48.1%) underwent open BT. There was no significant difference between cohorts in terms of age (P = .679), BMI (P = .382), Height (P = .989), Weight (P = .452), laterality of procedure (P = .678), or rate of surgery taking place on the dominant side (P = 1.000). Groups had similar post-operative ASES scores (85.9 vs 73.6, P = .238), SANE scores (81.4 vs 78.6, P = .922), VAS (16.8 vs 32.5, P = .248). Furthermore, rates of participation in sport prior to surgery (P = .236), rate of return to sport following surgery (P = 1.000), and time it took to return to sport (P = .915) were similar between groups. Conclusion: Female patients undergoing surgical treatment of SLAP lesions with either arthroscopic or open BT show comparable subjective outcomes and return to sport at minimum 2 years. Further research is necessary to define precise treatment indications for this pathology in this specific female patient population